Pipe cleaner



Dec. 1, 1942. P. N. sANDlN 2,304,023.

' PIPE CLEANER Filed Jan. 21, 1939 3 sheets-sheet 2 Inventor:

@l ZM-Qi? Decul, 1942.

PIPE CLEANER Fil-ed Jan'. 21, 19559 T TQC P. N. SANDIN 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Patented Dec. 1, 1942 zoiozs UNITED STATES PATENT @ENCE Per NilssonSandin, Angelholm, Sweden Application January 21, 1939, Serial No.252,062 In Sweden January 24, 1938 3 Claims. (Cl. 15--104.18)

This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning drains and otherpipes especially in industrial works such as tanneries, slaughterhouses, sulphite works and so on as well as domestic drains, so that thepipe will not become choked up and the outflow of water hindered orrendered difficult by the gradually increasing layers of soil in thedischarged Water.

According to the invention, there is provided a pipe cleaner comprisingin combination a substantially conical body, a plurality of cleaningmembers movably mounted on said body, traction means positively securedto the pointed end of said body and extending to one end of a pipe beingcleaned and the arrangement being such that, when the Vcleaner is pulledthrough the pipe in one direction, the cleaning members are foldedinwards to form a substantially cy-` lindrical member adjacent to thebase of said body whilst, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe inthe opposite direction, the cleaning members are swung outwards againstthe wall of the pipe to scrape oit sediment and bring it out of thepipe, angle levers integral with and projecting inwardly of the cleanerfrom said cleaning members, pivoted on projections on said conical body,and a second traction means extending in the opposite direction fromsaid rst traction means and arranged to operate upon the inner ends ofsaid angle levers, so that when "l said traction means is pulled, saidangle levers will act as a bell crank and force said cleaning membersoutwardly towards the pipe interior.

It is important to note that a pipe can be cleaned with the presentapparatus even when in use, since the more water there is flowingthrough the pipe, the greater the ease in discharging the soil.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, showing two forms of construction by way of example, and inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through -v the apparatusaccording to one embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line II-II of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 shows the operation of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsection through the apparatus according to the second embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the apparatus i' on the line V-V inFigure 4.

The chief element of the cleaner consists of a substantially conicalcase I at the lower end of which a number of projections 2 are formed,which serve as bearings for pivots 3. Scrapers are pivotally mounted onthese pivots 3 and will be referred to in detail hereinafter. 'I'heconical case I is provided with a central bore 4 'in which a rod 5 isguided. A tubular extension 4' with the rod 5 extends beyond the case Itothe lower side of Fig. 1. At its free end, the tube 4' -is providedwith a disc 6 and beyond this disc the rod 5 is screwthreaded and fittedwithl a nut "I which is drawn tight against the disc. At the oppositeend, the rod 5 is provided with a` flange 8 which rests against the endof the case I and is formed with an eye or hook 9 with which another eyeor hook I0 co-operates and which latter is held together by means of thebolt II and nut I2. The hook lil is secured to the end of a steel wireI3 indicated in Fig. V3.

The exterior of the conical case I, has a number of ribs I4 which serveto break up preliminarily the coatings of soil in thepipe I5 which is tobe cleaned.

The cleaning members or Scrapers, which are formed as angle levers,consist of curved plates I which are located in a circle to form acylinder. The plates I I5 are provided with two perpendicular inwardlydirected arms I'I whichembrace each of the projections 2 and areextended inwardly towards the -axis of the cleaner. t the free end ofleach arm I1, there is connected by means of a hinge I8, a rod I9 mountedparallel to the bore 4. These rods 'I9 pass through openings 20 in the.disc 6 and openings 2l in a disc 22 disposed behind disc 6. The disc 22serves as a common xing member for the rods I9 the ends of which arescrewthreaded and tted with nuts 23. The disc is formed at its centerwith an eye orl hook 24 with which engages the eye 21 of a wire 28forming the first traction means by means of a bolt 25 and nut 25. Thissteel wire 28 is shown in the schematic Fig. 3.

Surrounding the plates I6 are members 29 forming cleaning elements whichare to connect the soil in the pipe and being somewhat longer than theplates and bent somewhat inwardly at the free ends so that when thecleaner is moved backwards, they will not hinder the movement throughroughnesses in the pipe I5 for example at joints such as those shown at3,0. Besides these large cleaning elements 29 the plates IS may alsocarry smaller ones 3i formed in the same manner. ment 2S is providedwith an edge 32 which bears against the edge of the disc 6. A

It is advantageous for the steel wire I3, which wire serves as the rsttraction means for pull- On the inside, each cleaning eleing theapparatus through the tube or pipe I5 to be permanently situated thereinand for this purpose it may be made of any suitable material which willnot be affected by the coating of soil in the pipe.

When the pipe I5 is to be cleaned the cleaner is attached to the end ofwire I3 by the members 9 and IIl and the wire, with the apparatus, isthen engaged kin the pipe. It is assumed that the wire 26 has alreadybeen secured to the other end of the apparatus. When placed in the pipethe cleaner members i. e. plates I6 are kept close against the sides ofthe apparatus, see the left side of Fig. 3. After moving the apparatus 2or 3 feet in the pipe I5, the pull on the wire I3 is discontinued andthen the wire 28 is pulled by a grab or the like in the oppositedirection. This pulling action will draw the rods I9 to the lower sideof Fig. 1 and the plates I6 will therefore be caused to swing about thepivots 3 until the cleaning elements are brought into the position shownin dotted lines. The movement is limited by the inner ends of the platesand stopped by the projections 2. When the plates I 6 are swung -outthey cut into the coating of soil in the pipe until they reach the wallof the pipe I5 and during the further movement of the cleaner, willloosen the coating on the wall and discharge it from the pipe. When theapparatus is inserted in the pipe the flanges I4 preliminarily break upthe coating and facilitate the swinging movement of the plates I6. Afterthe coating has been discharged from the pipe I5 the apparatus is againdrawn farther along the pipe by the wire I3 and again by reversing thepull the coating can be removed further along the pipe by the wire I3and again by reversing the pull the coating can be removed further alongthe pipe. This process is continued until the whole pipe is clear.

Also other shapes for ribs I4 may be advantageously employed.

The apparatus also may be constructed in a more simple manner, so thatno movable parts,

with the exception of the plate-like cleaning members and a commonoperation member for the same, are used.

Fig. 4 shows such a construction wherein the conical case is shown at Iand the pivots of the cleaning members at 3. consist, as in the rstembodiment, of curved plates I6, which are fixed to angle levers Il.

The rods 5 and I9 of the first embodiment are replaced by one single rod35 arranged in the middle of the apparatus and connected with the onetraction means for instance a steel wire 43. The said rod 35 is guidedat one end in an opening in a plate 36 at the upper end of the conicalcase I. The rod 35 is provided with two anges 38, between which the bentends 39 of the inwardly directed arms I I of the angle levers catch.When the steel wire is pulled, the rod 35 will be moved in longitudinaldirection, whereupon the arms I'I will be pressed into the positionshown dotted and the cleaning members will be swung out against thewalls of the pipe, 'similarly as described with reference to the firstembodiment.

In order to protect the movable parts of the cleaner, the conical bodymember I is provided with an additional casing 49 forming an extensionthereof. The casing 40 decreases in diameter in the direction away fromthe member I, and is provided with a wall at this extremity which formsa bearing for the rod 35. The two parts I, 46 thus together form aclosed case for The cleaning members i the movable parts, which case maybe filled with lubricant. The cleaning members on the inner side areprovided with stops 4I or the like, with which they rest against theouter side of the case 40. The case 40 may have any suitable form and isfixed to the apparatus body I by means of bolts 42, which are arrangedin recesses at the outer side of the same and put through an inwardlydirected flange 44 in the apparatus body.

The cleaning members are arranged with their pivots 3 in correspondingrecesses in both cases I and 40.

I 'claimt 1. A pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantiallyconical body, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on saidbody, traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said bodyand extending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrangementbeing such that, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in onedirection, the cleaning members are folded inwards to form asubstantially cylindrical member adjacent to the base of said bodywhilst, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in the oppositedirection, the cleaning members are swung outwards against the wall ofthe pipe to scrape oiic sediment and bring it out of the pipe, anglelevers integral with and projecting inwardly of the cleaner from saidcleaning members, pivoted on projections on said conical body, and asecond traction means extending in the opposite direction from said rsttraction means and arranged tooperate upon the innerl ends of said anglelevers, so that when said second traction means is pulled, said anglelevers will act as a bell crank and force said cleaning membersoutwardly `towards the pipe interior.

2. A pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantially conicalbody, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on said body,traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said body andextending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrangement beingsuch that, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in one direction,the cleaning members are folded inwards to form a substantiallycylindrical member adjacent to the base of said body whilst, when thecleaner is pulled through the pipe in the opposite direction, thecleaning members are swung outwards against the wall of the pipe toscrape off sediment and bring it out of the pipe, angle levers integralwith and projecting inwardly of the cleaner from said cleaning members,pivoted on projections on said conical body, a plurality of rods, eachhingedly connected to an angle lever at its innermost end, a disc,connected to the other ends of said rods, and a second traction meansextending in the opposite direction from said first traction means andoperatively attached to said disc, whereby when said second tractionmeans is pulled, said angle levers will act as a bell crank andforcesaid cleaning members outwardly towards the pipe interior.

3. A pipe cleaner comprising in combination a substantially conicalbody, a plurality of cleaning members movably mounted on said body,traction means positively secured to the pointed end of said body andextending to one end of a pipe being cleaned and the arrange-ment beingsuch that, when the cleaner is pulled through the pipe in one direction,the cleaning members are folded inwards to form a substantially cylinondtraction means extending in the opposite direction from said rsttraction means and operatively attached to said disc, whereby when saidsecond traction means is pulled, said angle levers will act as a bellcrank and force said cleaning members outwardly towards the pipeinterior, and ribs on said conical body for effecting a preliminarybreaking up of the soil when the cleaner is drawn through the pipe.

PER NILSSON SANDIN.

